The rapture is a Christian belief that the faithful will be taken up to heaven before the end of the world. The word “rapture” comes from the Latin word for “caught up.” The rapture is often associated with a passage in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians:
“For ye brethren, ye know how that our fathers were informed of this gospel by Epaphras, who is our beloved and faithful steward in you Lord: Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 1:1-3)
According to this passage, Paul received information about Jesus Christ from Epaphras, who had been sent by God to speak with Paul. In addition to sharing this information with Paul, Epaphras also shared it with others. This passage indicates that God can speak directly to people through others in order to share His message with them.
The Lord our God is in control of the end times and the future. The Lord controls the ultimate fulfillment of time and has sovereign control to bring His promises to pass. Only the Lord knows the exact times and seasons for His fulfillment (Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1).
Isaiah 37:26 and Titus 1:3 says the Lord promised that what He said generations ago would be fulfilled. The Bible says that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is one God that exist eternally (Exodus 3:14; Psalm 90:2; Revelation 4; 15:7; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:103, 18; Hebrews 13:8).
On the other hand, those not born of the water and of the Spirit will face an eternity in punishment. Those born of the water and of the Spirit will live eternally with the Lord our God in His kingdom (Daniel 7:18; 27; Revelation 22:5). The born-again believers who now live in time and space will live eternally. The Lord our God who is eternally will eliminate time and space and those in Christ will have an eternal relationship with the Lord our God forever.
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming again for His bride the Church without spots or wrinkles. For He says, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 8:18). The question is not answered by the Lord for He leaves it as an open question. There is no doubt regarding the faithfulness of the Son of Man. The Lord Jesus Christ will return for the body of Christ “The Church” and this rest upon the sovereign Word of God. In this article we’ll discuss what is the rapture in the bible.
Rapture In The Bible Verses
Scripture Verses for Meditation About the Rapture and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
Ephesians 3:8-11 King James Version (KJV)
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
1 Corinthians 15:50-53 King James Version (KJV) – The Rapture
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
The Wisdom of God: Part II
Rapture and Second Coming of Christ Scripture Verses
Rapture Scripture Verses
John 14:1-3 King James Version (KJV)
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Romans 8:9 King James Version (KJV)
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
1 Corinthians 1:7-8 King James Version (KJV)
7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 King James Version (KJV)
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Philippians 3:20-21 King James Version (KJV)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Philippians 4:5 King James Version (KJV)
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Colossians 3:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 2:19 King James Version (KJV)
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 King James Version (KJV)
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (proceed) them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so, shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 King James Version (KJV)
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1 Thessalonians 5:23 King James Version (KJV)
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What Is The Rapture In The Bible
Most people get the second coming of Christ and the rapture mixed up. At times, it’s unclear whether a particular Bible verse is talking about the rapture or the Second Coming. It is crucial to make a distinction between the two when studying Bible prophecy of the end times.
If you’re a Christian, you’ll be taken up in the rapture when Jesus returns for His church. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 detail the rapture. Those who have died in the faith will be raised bodily, and they will join the living believers in meeting the Lord in the clouds. The time it takes for this to happen is comparable to the blink of an eye. During His Second Coming, Jesus will vanquish the Antichrist, destroy evil, and set up His millennial kingdom. Revelation 19:11-16 details the second coming.
Here are some key distinctions between the rapture and the Second Coming:
1) Believers are taken up to meet the Lord in the sky at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Following the Lord’s return to Earth at the end of time, believers will once again inhabit it (Revelation 19:14).
- The Second Coming Occurs After the Great and Terrible Tribulation (Revelation chapters 6–19). Before the Tribulation Period, the Rapture Will Occur (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).
3) Believers are snatched up from Earth in a miraculous event called the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 5:9). Nonbelievers will be purged as a result of God’s judicial action at the Second Coming (Matthew 24:40-41).
4) It will happen suddenly and in complete secrecy (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). Everyone will be able to see the Second Coming (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:29-30).
Five) Other end-times events must occur before the return of Christ can happen (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15-30; Revelation chapters 6–18). The rapture is close at hand; it may happen at any time (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54).
For what reasons must the rapture and the second coming be treated as two separate events?
1) Christians won’t be spared the Tribulation if the Rapture and the Second Coming are two sides of the same coin (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).
Two) The return of Christ is not imminent if the rapture and the second coming are the same event; many things must take place before He can return (Matthew 24:4-30).
3) The church is not mentioned at all in Revelation chapters 6–19, which describe the tribulation period. In the midst of the tribulation, also known as “the time of trouble for Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:7), God will once again focus His primary attention on Israel (Romans 11:17-31).
Though they share some similarities, the rapture and the second coming are two entirely different occurrences. Both scenarios anticipate Jesus’s second coming. They’re both signs of the end times. Recognizing the distinctions, however, is essential. To sum up, the rapture is the pretribulational removal of Christians from Earth by the physical return of Jesus Christ in the clouds. Christ will return to earth for the second time to end the Tribulation and to defeat the Antichrist and his evil global empire.
